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It seems like something you don’t notice until it’s already too late. One day you look down and there it is, a fully formed beer gut. You always swore it would never happen to you, but there it is. But fear not! By following a few of these simple tips you’ll be well on your way to a healthier and trimmer you.

Burn More Calories Than You Consume

If you’re interested in losing weight, the basics are actually deceptively simple. You just need to burn more calories than you consume. Sounds easy, right? But when faced with the numbers and nutrition facts, it’s quite normal to think it’s going to be more difficult than it really is. It turns out that the biggest obstacle is actually your own willpower.

One Bite (and One Mile) At a Time

It’s important not to expect results immediately. If you go into your fitness routine with unreasonable expectations you’re just going to get frustrated and disappointed, which will make it even tougher to stick with it. Try starting with reasonable goals and working your way up. Think about beginning with one mile three times a week, then moving to every day, and then increasing your distance. By setting attainable goals you can increase your confidence and your desire to stick with your routine.

Don’t Get Overwhelmed

Many people forget that you burn a lot of calories in your sleep. A person typically burns about 0.42 calories for each pound of body weight for each hour of sleep. That would mean that for a full night’s sleep (8 hours) at 150 pound person would have burned 504 calories. The average diet for a healthy man is meant to be around 2,000 calories a day. That means a quarter of those are going to be burned off while you’re sleeping! When combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise you’d be surprised by how quickly you’re able to cut back on the calories without having to worry about starving yourself.

Fear the Beer

I know, I might as well have just told you “no air,” but if you ever want to have that flat stomach and washboard abs you see in the movies, the beer will have to go. In speaking on his body transformation for Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt said he had to go over six months without beer, exercising a minimum of four times a week. As much as we love the stuff it’s pure calories and carbs and that’s it. You can pretty much guarantee that any beer is going to have at least 100 calories, with many craft beers having much more. If you’re not careful, before you know it you just added an additional 500 calories to your daily caloric intake and if you don’t burn them off you know exactly where they’re going to go. It’s recommended that you try substituting some of that beer with red wine, which has fewer calories and has been found to feature other benefits for the body and mind.

Skip the Late Night Snacks

No late night snacks. Even try to avoid what you might consider healthy snacks if you’re an hour or less from going to bed. Fatty and high calorie midnight munchies are only unnecessary added calories that aren’t going anywhere and only add to the pile. Some experts even suggest not eating too long after it gets dark. They note that, from an evolutionary standpoint, eating at night is a relatively recent phenomenon. Skip the nightcaps too. They’re added calories and the alcohol you’re consuming decreases your metabolic rate, meaning you’ll burn even less calories while you’re asleep.

Tags: beer, beer gut, calories, diet, Exercise